River Harmony
by Devin Trinidad
Summary: "You are like my clumpy soup." Gunther felt his face turning red.


"I can not believe we have to do this! Why do I have to help you with this rubbish!?" Furious at himself for sleeping on the job as sentry, he had to follow Pepper-much to his dismay-to the river and grab some fish. Even though it would have been an easier job to go the market and buy them, the castle cook ordered them fresh.

"My, my Gunther! You should be thankful," Pepper sagaciously chided. In her petite hands was a large basket, which held the essentials in fishing for the meat. Clad in her regular outfit, Gunther couldn't comprehend how she would manage the task.

_How can anyone fish in a dress? _The knight in training thought. _Then again, who can march in battle in a sinfully short skirt? _Angered, that he was once again bested by the opposite sex, the apprentice's voice raised an octave.

"So what, the whole week has been a disaster! Jane won in one of our sparring matches, Father requests I help him in the middle of the night, causing me to lose precious sleep, and Dragon annoys me wherever I go!" Screaming the last part, so that birds flew from the trees, the dark haired male turned to his companion in triumph. Perhaps he little rant could earn him some peace and quiet.

Bravely, Pepper placed a comforting hand on his leather-clad arm.

"Don't think about the bad things in life, think about the good," her voice held warmth and wisdom none could attain at her tender age. The sudden turn of events caused the novice to breathe and think about what she said. "Even if the soup looks clumpy and unappealing, you can still taste the goodness." Looking up at him demurely, she continued," You're like my clumpy soup."

_She must be doing this on purpose. No one can be that attractive and not know it. Wait! She adores Rake and I don't-_

In response to her advice and ill interpreted words, the boiling tempered boy brushed her aside, intent on following through to his task.

As he walked briskly through the forest, he noticed one piece of crucial help to attain the King's desired fish was missing. Cursing himself for the cook's stupidity and her inborn stubbornness, he had to walk back to the maiden. As he jogged back to the place where he brushed past her, he finally realized something. Thinking back on the lessons taught to him by his ailing mother, he tried to reason with Pepper.

"Look, if you are crying and unable to obtain fish, guess who is getting to get the blame!" Although said in a brutally harsh tone, Gunther felt his cold heart soften at the sight of the castle cook. How a crying girl was able to infiltrate his mental defenses, he had no idea. However, he knew that he was going to have to stop this emotional nonsense.

"Its just that," her tear filled gaze ripped Gunther's soul in half and smashed it into millions. "Y-You hate me!" With a strangled emotional cry she launched herself and onto Gunther's chest and started sobbing.

Since Gunther had no special social skills with anybody, girls in particular, the raven-haired boy forced his hand to pet her head in comfort. Face turning a frightening red hue, words cannot describe his discomfort.

"Pepper," as he thought his words over, he began to swallow bile that suck in his throat," I don't hate you."

At his reassuring tone, the teary eyed girl looked up at him in mistrust, but wiped the stray water away from her cheeks. Slowly moving out of her awkward embrace, she stepped back and bitterly smiled. Adjusting the basket on her left arm, she began to impart some more advice.

"You don't have to keep your emotions to yourself; share them with me." Her voice held a kindness that Gunther only heard once before; the last he heard of his late mother.

Bitterly and sarcastically, he muttered in disdain," You want me to cry and clutch someone I do not know?" His eyebrows raised n skepticism. Surely, she would never think of him doing something so frivolous and feminine?

"No, just talk to me. Talk to us. You should be thankful that you have people you can turn to in times of trouble." Her voice turned stern and motherly as she gave him a once over. Immediately, Gunther felt self-conscious of his appearance and his overall personality. Was she judging him?

"You're lucky, Gunther, remember that." Faith and trust was heavily layered in her use of speech.

Silence between the two transpired as they both inspected their surroundings. Nothing could possibly interrupt the two as they were both deep in the forest; a privacy that the young knight was grateful for. No one would ever have to know about his little chat with Little Miss Perfect. However, as his cold gaze calculatingly scrutinized the figure before him, he realized something. This was the first time in a while that he was actually enjoying himself.

True, his knightly duties held an adventurous theme that this outing for fish lacked, but he felt warm and content while conversing with the chef. It was a nice change from the scrutiny and criticism that came with his status and his ancestors' pasts. In fact, he quite enjoyed the little pastime, and now a familiar feeling blossomed into his heart. He felt shame for his rebuttal against Pepper's advances to get him to open up. Maybe…maybe he should stop acting stuck up…

"You may be right… It was utter luck that caused me to gather fish from the river," Gunther mused.

"No silly, I vouched on your behalf so you will not have to clean out the stables!" With a chipper attitude back in place, the serving girl rushed forward to their destination, dragging the disgruntled boy after her.

"You did that for me," Gunther inquired disbelievingly. Panting heavily at the sudden spurt of energy, he gestured for her to slow own to an easy walk.

"Why not? We are friends, are we not?" Pepper looked so hopeful that Gunther could not say no to her.

"Yes."

At his acknowledgement to her previous statement, the dark haired girl beamed delightfully at him. A knowing smile was painted on her face and she chuckled at the confused expression on the teen's face. With a newfound skip in her step, she began to head to the calling waters, beckoning for the both of them to fish.

"To the river we go," she crowed in delight. Today, she was going to teach Gunther how to fish.

* * *

EDIT 1/14/13: Apparently, I missed something grammatically crucial to understand the story. Still, read and review if you must.


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